I have returned from cycling around Holland with offspring and husband in tow. It was all fine pedalling fun. Lots of windmills, lots of wind, lots of greenhouses, tulips, daffodils, dykes and bikes and herons flying down the high street. Also lots of fields of swans trying to look like sheep.

Cycling in the Netherlands is a world away from cycling here in these fair, green traffic-laden isles where more often than not we are shoved into the ditch by a speeding motorist. In Holland a cyclist has all the room in the world to weave and wander along an endless medley of vehicle-free cycle tracks. I will write more about this when this WordPress website decides to work properly again because at the moment it’s not allowing me to put up any pictures or write any more than this title (I hate computers!).

All I have space to say is that on Tuesday 24th April I’ve been invited to the Houses of Parliament to appear with Jon Snow (the TV news man with busy ties) and James Harding (editor of The Times) at the Transport Select Committee Meeting to discuss and be questioned about cycle safety. Shortly after this I will be appearing on the BBC Daily Politics Progamme to discuss more about cycle safety with a Labour Peer of all people. I’ve never done anything like this before so it all sounds suitably nerve wracking but I’m willing to give it a whirl. More soon on this I hope!

12 Comments until now.

Parliament type people have told me it is going to be on the Parliament Channel. I’ll be the one looking hot and bothered! And probably the only one in cycling shorts. By the way, we went to the Railway Museum in Utrecht. Gary and Molly had some exciting train rides while Daisy slept through it.

I got really saddlesore over there ;lovely people ,so very friendly to us Brits on Bicycles .
Can you ask if the white lines at the sides of roads can be made a bit wider, to give us a bit more shelter from ” Passing Wind “!

Hi there, I work at BBC Parliament and was just looking at your website doing some research for the captions for this committee.
Seeing your comments, I thought I’d let you know that the Committee will be streamed live on the BBC Democracy Live website and will be shown on BBC Parliament sometime over the weekend (Fri evening-Sun, sorry I can’t be more specific). Hope that’s helpful!

Partly answering my own question, I find by roaming the internet that the committee starts at 10:10 with a ‘VIP’ (forget which minister or whatever) joining at 11:00. The BBC channel gives the impression that it will also be available afterwards on i-player.

I always felt like I had all of Europe just to myself because of those cycling lanes. With the strict laws in the Netherlands and Belgium I felt like the king of the road. Quite an experience when one comes from Johannesburg.